


(minus) tempo of my heart

by carolee_sea



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff and Crack, Haikyuu kagehina inspired, M/M, Volleyball, momentary lapse of volleyball playing towards the middle, only a small mention of some members, uhhh this turned out longer than I expected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-30 01:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17214800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolee_sea/pseuds/carolee_sea
Summary: High School Volleyball AU where Mark and Donghyuck were middle school rivals but end up at the same high school on the same volleyball team. They surprisingly have the best teamwork, yet never seem to get along. Could this be the start of a love story? Introducing hangouts at the local Starbucks, disastrous lab experiments, and late night confessions in the gym.





	(minus) tempo of my heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sandiibeeach](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandiibeeach/gifts).



> disclaimer: I don't know much about volleyball bc I suck at it irl (like really, really bad) so pls excuse any inaccuracies >_< (I rewatched Haikyuu for this!!) anyways the summary is a little deceptive and the story is roughly done, but I hope anyone who comes across this enjoys it :)

Sweat dripped down the side of Mark’s neck, and his back ached as he bent down to pick up the ball. In a swift movement, he served the ball to the other side of the court, but his aim was off and the ball sped out of bounds. He ran to over retrieve it again. Before he could pick it up, the door swung open.

A boy stood before the sunlight. He had a set of large brown eyes, soft cheeks, and windblown orange-caramel hair. 

“Hey-” the boy started, sounding slightly out of breath, as if he’d just run here. 

He stepped into the gym, and Mark caught the recognition in his eyes as soon as the other saw him.

“Mark Lee!?” the boy yelled. 

He pointed an accusing finger at Mark, and his high-pitched, almost nasally voice sounded very familiar to Mark. It was a unique voice, one Mark had heard two years ago but never forgot. Mark didn’t remember his name, but he remembered the way the boy jumped high into the air for a spike and the wild look in his eyes as he slammed the ball down. Mark remembered having his breath taken away by the speed and height of the boy’s jumps during that one fateful match in middle school. After the match ended and the other team had lost, the boy had labelled Mark as his arch-nemesis through teary eyes. 

“What are you doing here?” the boy said angrily. 

“I would ask the same for you,” Mark replied calmly, picking up the volleyball. 

“I’m going to play volleyball here next year. And I’m going to beat you,” the boy declared. Mark flinched from his authoritative tone; he didn’t expect him to answer like that.  
“Hate to break it to you, but I’m on the team as well. So you can’t beat me cuz we’ll be teammates,” Mark said, spinning the ball in his hands. He viewed the boy curiously.

“By the way, who are you again?” 

The boy gasped, looking betrayed. “I’m Donghyuck! I’ve played against you in a match before!” He scowled. “Which you won. As expected, Absolutely Fully Capable Mark wouldn’t remember anyone he defeated.” 

_Oh, so that was his name._

“I remember you! Just not your name,” Mark defended. “Also don’t call me that. It’s embarrassing.” The nickname had been given to him by his team in middle school because of his perfectionist nature and how hardworking he was during practice. It had quickly spread beyond his team, soon widely known by many of their opponents.  
“Absolutely Fully Capable Mark. Absolutely Fully Capable Mark. Absolutely Fully Capable Mark,” Donghyuck chanted as Mark glared at him. 

Mark sighed internally as Donghyuck continued to rap his name and annoy him. He wondered how he would survive being on the team as the other boy next year. 

 

***

 

It turned out that Mark was going to be seeing Donghyuck around a lot earlier than he expected. Donghyuck was still in middle school, but the coach had decided to start practicing for the new season in the spring. Mark had transferred to Strony High School mid-way through freshman year, so he was going to be a new addition to the team as well. 

The team met up after school, and Mark was glad to see a few familiar faces. He recognized Lucas from his history class and Jungwoo from his math class, both of them being pretty tall. After a few quick words from the coach, the team started warming up on their own. Apparently the coach, Taeil, was a bit of an enigma, letting the team run on its own and mysteriously only saying a couple words a day. The silence stretched on uncomfortably in the gym, periodically interrupted by the squeak of sneakers on the floor. 

Mark was a pretty quiet guy and usually didn’t mind silence, but he was getting more and more anxious as the minutes passed by. _Why was no one talking? I thought a team was supposed to be friendlier than this?_ Fidgeting anxiously, he thought back glumly to his previous high school, where practice was always lively with his best friend Jaemin. 

Just when he thought he couldn’t stand the silence any longer, the doors to the gym flew open, and a group of boys noisily sauntered in. It looked like the middle school kids had finally come. Mark caught sight of Donghyuck in the back, talking to another boy. 

Taeil stood up from his spot on the bench and a hush fell upon the players, who huddled around the coach. 

“How about we do some introductions first? And then you guys can practice some serves or receiving. Let’s take it easy today, we’ll start a practice match tomorrow,” Taeil suggested amicably, smiling fondly at the new kids. He sat back down, and the high schoolers dispersed immediately, leaving the middle schoolers and Mark hovering around confused. 

“The ball cart is over there,” Taeil pointed. “Come to me if you need anything.” It was a clear dismissal, and the middle schoolers spread out as well. 

Mark trailed after Lucas and Jungwoo awkwardly, the two of them starting to bump the ball back and forth. Walking over to the ball cart, Mark picked up a ball and surveyed the room, unsure what to do. 

“Mark Lee is the guy you want to beat? The amazing setter?” 

Mark’s ears perked up at the sound of his name being whispered. He turned around discreetly and saw Donghyuck and the boy he was with earlier conversing together. 

“Shhhh! Not so loud!” 

“Dude, he’s like so cool though. Being on the same team on him is the _dream_ ,” the other boy said. 

Donghyuck scoffed. “He’s not _that_ cool. He’s actually kinda lame.”

Ugh. Donghyuck wasn’t even directly talking to Mark, and he was already being annoying. Because Mark was a good guy and wanted to form better relationships with his teammates, he stalked over to the gossipping pair. 

“Hey Donghyuck,” Mark said through gritted teeth. 

Both boys’ eyes comically widened, and Mark knew that Donghyuck was wondering if Mark overheard his shit-talking. 

Donghyuck plastered on a wide smile. “Hi Maaaarrk,” he said brightly, drawing out the name. “Wow, I can’t believe Absolutely Fully Capable Mark remembers my name.” His eyes sparkled mischievously. 

Mark frowned. “My memory isn’t that bad.”

Donghyuck ignored him and took his still-frozen friend by the arm. “This is Jeno.”

Jeno looked kind of starstruck as Donghyuck shoved him in front of Mark. 

“Hey,” he breathed softly, eyes full of wonder. 

“Hi Jeno,” Mark put on the charismatic team captain smile he gave in his middle school years. “It’s nice to meet you, let’s get along well.” 

Jeno nodded quickly and his eyes crinkled up in a genuine eye smile. Donghyuck looked extremely offended behind him. 

“How come you weren’t this nice when you met me?” he demanded. 

“Well, you were the one who yelled at me first,” Mark reasoned. 

Donghyuck glared at Mark and Mark glared back, the tension steadily growing between the two players. 

“Guys, shouldn’t we start practice...?” Jeno timidly piped up. 

“Yeah, sure,” Donghyuck huffed, still trying not to lose the staring contest with Mark, but failed miserably as he bent down to pick up a ball. 

It seemed like Jeno wanted Mark to stay around, so he grudgingly practiced with the two of them. Mark found out Donghyuck was kinda shitty at receiving, but he wasn’t laughing when the pissed-off boy managed to bump the ball straight into Mark’s face. Despite the many mishaps, the first practice wasn’t too bad. At the end, Donghyuck and Mark were civil at best, and Mark was close enough with Jeno for the two to exchange numbers (Donghyuck got dragged into it too, so it was a three-way exchange) with the promise to meet up some time after practice hours.

 

The moment everyone had changed into gym clothes the next day, Taeil had divided the team in two for their practice game. Mark had somehow ended up on the same team as Donghyuck and Jeno. 

“Mark plays setter,” someone said, and everyone readily agreed. The other positions were loosely established, most being spikers and the taller players being blockers. 

The first set was pretty rocky on both sides of the net, both teams struggling to synch with their members. Jeno was easily one of the more powerful spikers on Mark’s team. 

But Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck had missed the first toss Mark gave him, and as a cautious player, Mark wasn’t taking any chances, so he neglected the orange-haired boy for most of the game. Despite being not extremely tall, Donghyuck was a great blocker. Whenever the other team got the ball and Donghyuck prepared to step back to receive and follow up with a spike, Mark would pointedly stare at him until he got the message and went back to the front line for blocking. 

When time out was called for a quick break, Donghyuck stalked up to Mark, pouting immensely and ready to complain profusely. 

“Stick to blocking! You’re better at it anyway!” Mark blurted out before Donghyuck could retort.

“I want to spike, and I can do it! I’m not going to block anymore if you won’t toss to me. Just watch me Mark! I won’t block!”

“Fine. I’ll toss to you,” Mark glowered. He’d met his fair share of selfish and annoying players, but Donghyuck really took the cake. 

The team wandered into their positions again. Taeil was having a short chat with a player from the other team, and Mark idly thought about his next plays. The short tweet of the whistle jolted him back into action. The second set was starting. 

Their team was a lot stabler in the second set, and Mark should have felt at ease at the way the ball easily fit in his hands and arced to the spikers with almost perfect precision. But there was a boy up front who was getting increasingly antsy, and Mark could feel it. 

_You’re not going to toss to me?_ read the look on Donghyuck’s face as he jumped into spiking formation. The ball went to Jeno. 

Mark should have been rejoicing at the embarrassed flush that spread over Donghyuck’s face when the ball didn’t come to him, but somehow he felt a twisting in his stomach and the heavy weight of guilt. 

The other team barely managed to receive the spike, and the ball went flying flying over the net to their side.

“I’ll get it!” Donghyuck yelled, and he moved forward to receive the ball, which was falling directly towards Mark’s waiting palms. He stumbled into Mark, jostling the setter’s aim. The ball didn’t go far, and another teammate quickly bounced the ball back to Mark, who scowled at Donghyuck.

“Goddammit Donghyuck!” Mark shouted angrily, and without his usual finesse, forcefully threw the ball high up into the air. It was too high up and speeding too fast, and Mark heard a little groan from a player standing in the back, but the blood was rushing hot in his head. He didn’t care anymore.

“Fuck you Mark!” 

And then Donghyuck had leapt into the air. He was higher up than he’d ever been before, almost suspended in the air, eyes narrowed in on the ball. It felt like time stopped on the court when his palm connected perfectly with the ball, spending it whizzing with a loud _splat!_ onto the gym floor on the other side of the net. The ball hit the side of the wall and bounced to a lazy roll. The gym was silent. 

And Mark was pretty sure everyone’s face in the room mirrored the same expression of shock. Donghyuck’s eyes were wide open in surprise as he landed, spiking hand hovering hesitantly in disbelief. Mark replayed the moment over and over in his head, barely comprehending the speed of the play he just set up. 

“Oh my god,” Mark heard Jeno whimper. 

“Holy fuck, what just happened?” 

Suddenly there was shouting, and someone had clapped Donghyuck on the back, who gave a small smile. Taeil let out a loud whoop from excitement, and laughter filled the room. Donghyuck’s sparkling eyes met Mark’s in the midst all the cheering around them, and he raised his pink-tinged hand in greeting. Mark grinned back. It was a truce.

 

Taeil had been very pleased with the quick Mark and Donghyuck pulled off, eyes glittering mischievously as he gushed about “Strony High’s new weapon”. A _minus tempo quick_ , he had called it. Mark and Donghyuck had been forced to practice with each other as much as possible to polish it for the fall season games. Mark was a little surprised by it at first, but Donghyuck was extremely hardworking and enthusiastic when it came to volleyball. Counterintuitively, he was always the one pushing Mark for more practice with their quick. The results of their extensive training together showed. It got to the point where in one of their practice matches, the pair pulled off around ten points with their new weapon, and Taeil officially dubbed them the “miracle duo”. 

“Don’t you guys lose it over summer break,” Taeil grinned at the two of them. “We’ll be having our annual summer boot camp in August, so stay fit until then.”

“Do you want to practice together before the camp?” Donghyuck asked Mark when Taeil had left. 

“I have vacation. And summer homework. But maybe I’ll have some time in July.” It was kinda strange for Donghyuck to be asking him to voluntarily hang out. But of course they were just playing volleyball. It seemed that volleyball was more important to Donghyuck than many other things, even to the point of hanging around with Mark (whom Donghyuck was still wary of at this point). 

“Well, if you really don’t want to practice with me, it’s fine! I’ll practice by myself every day so I can be better than you by the time the new school year comes around.” Donghyuck grinned devilishly, turning to leave. 

Oh, challenge _accepted_. 

“Who said I’m not bringing my volleyball with me when I’m travelling?” Mark challenged back, smirking as well. It seemed like some things never changed. Donghyuck stuck his tongue out childishly and ran away giggling. And maybe Mark would miss (arguing with) him a little in the two months he wasn’t seeing him. 

 

***

 

It was finally time for the summer volleyball camp, and Donghyuck hadn’t seen much of Mark in the first few days since it started. If he were a lesser man, he would even say he _missed_ Mark. But no, Donghyuck convinced himself, he only missed Mark’s impeccable, easy to spike tosses. There was something so satisfying about the way the ball hit his palm at the perfect angle, almost a blur before his eyes as he scanned the floor for any empty spot to direct the ball at. It was a toss that the other setters on the team could never recreate, and Donghyuck always felt a little giddy inside knowing that he was the only one who could spike it. Thinking fast in mid-air was a difficult task, but Donghyuck’s quick thinking and reflexes made it easy to figure out a place to spike the ball to, even if it was moving at an impossible speed. Watching footage of their practice games, he would notice that Mark’s tosses to him were always a bit quicker and higher than the tosses he gave the other spikers, as if it were a toss made specially for him. 

But somehow Donghyuck wasn’t in the same practice group as Mark for the camp, so he had yet to hit one of his tosses this summer. Mark had procrastinated on his summer homework, nervously apologizing to Donghyuck for not having time after official practice hours. And Donghyuck was kinda too distracted by Mark’s new undercut to complain about it then. 

The third day found Donghyuck sulking with Jeno as they strolled around the campus during one of their breaks (at least Jeno was in the same practice group as him). 

“Oh damn, Mark is _ripped_ ,” Jeno whispered, as he and Donghyuck walked by the doors of the gym and spotted the setter there mid-game. Mark was wearing a tank top for what seemed to be the first time ever, and the fruit of his hard labor was showing. In his arm muscles. 

“He’s not really...” Donghyuck frowned. His brain short-circuited, mindlessly ogling Mark’s milky skin and defined arms. 

Jeno laughed, not noticing Donghyuck’s dumbfounded expression and the hand that went up to wipe away a dribble of drool. 

“You’re just a bit insecure,” he said lightly. “It’s okay, Donghyuck, I’m sure you have nicer legs than him.” 

“Hell yeah,” Donghyuck said faintly, dizzy from the way the sweat dripped down the side of Mark’s neck and plastered strands of dark hair against his forehead. 

“But do you think Mark has a six-pack?” Jeno leaned in conspiratorially, as the setter jumped for a set, tank top riding up and revealing a pale sliver of skin.

Donghyuck froze again, and in his mind flashed scenarios of Mark in the tank top, lifting his shirt up to wipe the sweat from the side of his face, exposing his lean waist and delicious abs at the same time... _no no no!_ Donghyuck’s mind screamed internally and his face burned up. 

“How would I know, idiot?” he shoved Jeno, who grinned dopily at him. 

“You’re jealous~” Jeno smiled knowingly, and Donghyuck scoffed. No way he was jealous of Mark’s abdominal muscles, he’d much rather analyze them for scientific purposes. So he could get his own? Donghyuck wasn’t too sure anymore. 

“So... you’re having practice with him tomorrow right? For your quick.”

“Wait what?” Donghyuck did a double take at Jeno’s words. 

“You mean he didn't ask you yet? He told me he was free tomorrow after practice because he could finish all his summer homework tonight. And I heard he stayed up pretty late these few days so he could finish,” Jeno informed. 

“Serves him right for procrastinating,” Donghyuck responded as reflex, but his heart had started jumping erratically. Had Mark really stayed up late just so he could practice the minus tempo quick with Donghyuck? Perhaps he was actually excited to practice with Mark again. 

 

The last day of camp was a short one, with one practice game including the entire team and a lunch afterwards at a nearby BBQ restaurant to celebrate. Mark and Donghyuck continued with practice afterwards, with Jeno staying behind with them because he had nothing else to do. After a few rounds of tossing and spiking, their stomachs ready to burst and hinting at painful cramps, Mark and Donghyuck decided to quit. Jeno continued playing on his phone, tinny game noises accompanying their heavy panting.

“Yo, Donghyuck,” Mark wheezed. “Let’s take a break.”

“That’s- that’s what we’re doing, idiot.”

“By the way- I’m meeting with a friend of mine, from my old high school- after this.”

“Okay.”

Donghyuck sat up with difficulty. “And how does that concern us?”

Mark squirmed a little under his scrutiny. “Well... I was wondering if you guys wanted to come with me. He’s a freshman too, and he’s on the volleyball team.” 

Jeno perked up. “Intel on the other high schools!” he cheered. 

“That’s like, Taeil’s unofficial motto for the team,” Donghyuck said, amused. 

“So... maybe you could consider going?” Mark offered. 

“Count me in, I guess,” Donghyuck said, and Jeno nodded enthusiastically in agreement. 

“Let’s go then,” Mark grunted, struggling to get off the floor with much effort. “I’m supposed to be meeting him at Starbucks in half an hour.” 

“Wow, thanks for the late notice,” Donghyuck said sarcastically as Jeno wondered aloud, “Why Starbucks?”

“We’ll be on time if we run there,” Mark pointed out. “And the running will help us digest.”

“Not sure if that’s how it works...” 

“If I get a cramp, I’m gonna like, actually perish.”

The three of them scrambled up and stumbled out of the gym. It didn’t take much time for them to break out into an easy jog. 

Donghyuck dashed in front of Mark, knowing that the other boy’s competitiveness would make him try to catch up. And sure enough, Mark was quickly pulling ahead of Donghyuck, seagull eyebrows drawn together in concentration, appearing angry though he was just concentrating. 

They began their push and pull race, and Jeno slowed down behind them, exasperated. 

“You two go on ahead!” 

Mark and Donghyuck were ahead by a considerable distance when Mark let up. “Let’s wait here for Jeno,” he suggested. Donghyuck stopped a meter in front of Mark.

“Okay,” he said simply. “I won.” 

“No you didn’t!” Mark snapped indignantly, sprinting to a step ahead of where Donghyuck was standing. “I just stopped to wait for Jeno, like a considerate person!”

“I know you’re tired, Mark. Just admit it.” Donghyuck took two steps forward. 

“Arrghh!” 

The two of them continued their aggressive walking competition for a bit until they both decided it was stupid and went back to their previous checkpoint to wait for Jeno. 

“So Mark, could you tell us a bit about your friend so we don’t look like complete idiots when we meet him?” Jeno suggested when they had reunited. 

“Why is everyone attacking me today,” Mark grumbled as Donghyuck laughed maniacally beside him. 

“His name is Jaemin. I think he also brought along someone, a neighbor maybe? Anyways, Jaemin and I live in the same neighborhood and were friends growing up, so we’re pretty close.”

Starbucks was up ahead, and Mark gave one last bit of information before they stepped inside. 

“Oh yeah, and he likes flirting with everyone.”

 

“Maarrrkkk!” 

A pink-haired boy rushed their way as soon as they got inside the shop. He was handsome, flashing a wide, easy-going smile. 

“Jaemin, you dyed your hair pink,” Mark sputtered as Jaemin practically leapt into Mark’s arms for a tight hug. 

“Oh my god, who are they?” Jaemin chatted excitedly as soon as he let go of Mark and noticed Donghyuck and Jeno. 

“They’re my teammates. Donghyuck. And Jeno.”

After the quick introduction, Jaemin looked like he wanted to hug Donghyuck and Jeno as well, and it seemed like Mark had noticed their discomfort.

“Hey Jaemin, didn’t you say you were bringing someone with you too?” Mark said hurriedly, momentarily saving the pair from Jaemin’s affection. 

“Yesss!” Jaemin nearly squealed, and Donghyuck felt like he was experiencing some sort of culture shock from the pink-haired boy’s vivacity. 

 

Jaemin had brought along a middle school kid, who was impressively tall but didn’t seem too impressed with them. 

“Hi Jisung,” Mark greeted the middle-schooler with his trademark charismatic smile. Apparently he knew the boy, so Donghyuck assumed they were neighbors as well.

“Mark,” the other impassively replied. Donghyuck stifled a laugh. 

“Jisung is in middle school right now. He also plays volleyball, and he’s going to grow super tall!” Jaemin introduced. “He’s one of the best middle blockers in the area, just look at his large hands!” He grabbed one of Jisung’s hands and displayed it to his audience. Jisung looked incredibly embarrassed, but tolerated it. Donghyuck found it kinda funny. 

The group moved to a table in the back of the coffee shop, Jaemin rushing back to the counter to fetch his drink. 

“Do you guys want to order anything?” Mark asked them. Jeno asked for a frap, and Donghyuck politely declined. Jisung sat in the corner quietly judging them. 

Jaemin came back as Mark left to order for Jeno. 

“I’m not usually like this, sorry, I’m just really excited to see Mark again! I haven’t seen him in so long,” he said, seemingly calming down from his earlier enthusiasm. He set his drink on the table next to Jisung, who made a face of disgust and nudged it away. 

“There’s way too much caffeine in that thing,” Jisung remarked. 

Jaemin pouted exaggeratedly. “I put two shots less this time!”

“Still gross.”

Jeno peered over at Jaemin’s coffee curiously. If he didn’t know better, Donghyuck would have thought Jisung was the older one in high school. 

After Mark came back with Jeno’s frappuccino, the conversation picked up, mostly consisting of Jaemin whining about how much he missed having Mark on his team in school. Mark was true to his word-Jaemin was very flirty in a subtle way. He was very nice to Jeno and Donghyuck, listening intently whenever they talked and animatedly asking questions about their lives. Donghyuck liked him. They both had a similar lively nature, and Donghyuck knew that with some time together they could undoubtedly be very good friends. 

But there was something about the way that Jaemin leaned against Mark and hugged his arm while he laughed that irked Donghyuck. Mark had always been uncomfortable about touching skin with anyone, but he was actually letting the pink-haired boy cuddle him and fiddle with his ears. And Donghyuck didn’t know why he felt so annoyed about it.  
He let his mouth run his feelings, making snide comments. After a particularly snarky one, Mark’s patience had run out. 

“Donghyuck!” Mark looked disappointed, as if Donghyuck was a misbehaving child who needed to be chided. Donghyuck knew he was being unfair, but he was petty and needed a way to vent his unidentified feelings of turmoil. 

“Stop looking at me like that, you’re not my mom,” Donghyuck lashed out at the older boy. 

“I wouldn’t want to be your mom anyway, you’re so rude and annoying!”

“Is that really what you think of me?”

“Yes,” Mark inhaled and exhaled angrily. “From the moment you tried to make everything a competition between us! It’s so freaking annoying and unnecessary!” 

“Cuss like a real man, idiot!” 

“Oh my fucking god!” Mark yelled, standing up. Customers in the cafe started to gape at them curiously.

“I hate you so much, Donghyuck,” Mark seethed, sitting back down again. “Please stop ruining this for me.” His voice was shaking a little bit at the end, and he looked almost... scared? of his strong words from earlier. 

“Alright fine, I’ll leave.” Donghyuck’s eyes were stinging. Mark never told lies, so he must actually really hate him. Standing up abruptly and pushing past the door, he bit down on his lip to stop from trembling. 

After Donghyuck’s exit, Jeno looked torn, not knowing whether to stay or leave. In the end, he hastily apologized to the rest of the group and ran out of the shop after Donghyuck. 

 

The sun had retired from the sky, and the street was silent in the fading twilight. 

“Donghyuck!” Jeno called out to the boy running ahead of him. His voice echoed along with the patter of rapid footsteps on pavement.

_When did he get so fast?_ Jeno wondered. Back in middle school, Donghyuck was the one with the nine-minute mile, lazing around during warmups and laps around the track. Now, it seemed like he was constantly striving to improve and catch up with a certain someone. _Mark._ It seemed that Mark was more important to Donghyuck than Jeno ever realized, and he cursed inwardly for not noticing sooner. Underneath all the insults Donghyuck shot at the older boy, Donghyuck had admired Mark just like Jeno did, except he was trying to better himself instead of just idolizing Mark. 

Donghyuck slowed to a stop, hunched over, hands on knees, quickly wiping away any tears before Jeno could catch up.

“Hey,” Jeno said gently, patting Donghyuck’s back. “You alright there?”

“Thanks for coming after me,” Donghyuck’s voice was soft. “You didn’t need to.”

It usually took longer for Donghyuck to start talking and open up, so Jeno took it as a good sign. 

“Of course I had to. You’re my best friend,” he comforted. 

“Mark really hates me a lot, huh.”

“Donghyuck. You saw how his face looked after he said that. He didn’t mean it, he was just caught up in the moment and a little frustrated with you,” Jeno reasoned.  
“I want to apologize to him, but I don’t know how...I don’t even know why I was acting so petty back there. Jaemin was so nice! And Mark wasn’t doing anything wrong either...”

“I think,” Jeno offered. “You were kinda jealous of Jaemin’s friendship with Mark. You’re similar to Jaemin in a way, loud and affectionate, but Mark doesn’t treat you like he treats Jaemin.”

“It’ll probably take time, and maybe you have to lay off on the teasing for a while. After all, Jaemin and Mark were childhood friends. I’m sure if you’re nicer to Mark, you’ll eventually have an amazing friendship together. And you two are already so compatible as our Miracle Duo! It’s going to be fine.”

Suddenly Jeno was swept into a tight embrace. 

“Thanks so much, Jeno. I really don’t deserve you.” Donghyuck looked enlightened, and although his lower lashes were still a little wet, his eyes were sparkling brightly in the darkness. “You’re such a Jeno-ius,” he giggled, and Jeno groaned at his pun. 

“That’s even worse than my jokes,” he complained, but smiled at the other’s mischievous grin. Donghyuck was back in action. 

“Now go text Mark an apology and we’ll make it work from there!”

 

Donghyuck was a little hard to figure out. But even though it never seemed like it surface-level, he cared deeply about his relationships with others and was extremely thoughtful. Jeno really hoped that Mark would see the side of Donghyuck that made Jeno so loyal to him. 

 

donghyuck  
_hi Mark. i’m really sorry about ruining your meetup with Jaemin. tell him that i’m sorry and that he’s really nice and i’m happy to have met him_

_tbh I was jealous of your friendship with Jaemin and i didn’t realize it until it was too late. i’m sorry i was annoying and i will try not to be rude to you anymore_

_please accept my apology, i hope we can be better friends_

mark  
_hi Donghyuck. i’m sorry i got so angry with you._

_I don’t hate you._

_I’ll tell Jaemin. I’m glad you admit you are annoying but you are really not that bad._

_let’s be friends._

donghyuck  
_did i mention how awesome you are?? ur so understanding and nice Mark TT_

mark  
_wow okay this is getting weird_

_um_

_informal texting right away i see let’s get it_

donghyuck  
_what, so i can’t give u a genuine compliment? it’s true, ur so nice and i’m sorry i took advantage of that_

mark  
_okay! no more apologies pls it’s sooo weird i kindaaa want old donghyuck back_

donghyuck  
_was never old. i’ve always been young and fresh_

mark  
_there we go :)_

donghyuck  
_do u need help_

mark  
_what_

donghyuck  
_installing an actual emoji keyboard_

mark  
_bro i have one_

_the :) just seemed more appropriate in the situation_

donghyuck  
_ok_

mark  
_ok_

_..._

_do you want to get started on our new friendship tomorrow?_

donghyuck  
_u mean this whole conversation was not us starting our friendship?!_

mark  
_NOOO I mean we can be friends in person_

_that sounded weird_

_i meant meet up in person and do friend stuff_

_sorry that’s still weird_

donghyuck  
_oh_

_omg_

_ahhhhhhhh_

_okay yes let’s do it !!!_

mark  
_tomorrow 9 am? or is that too early_

donghyuck  
_don’t underestimate my ability to wake up early acquired from volleyball camp and weekend tournaments_

_do u want to meet at the school gym_

mark  
_haha 9 am at the gym it is then_

_you know, this kinda feels like we’re just going to practice volleyball..._

donghyuck  
_is that not we’re planning to do?_

mark  
_you have a point_

_it’s getting late donghyuck. you should sleep so you’re not late tomorrow_

_be there or be square_

donghyuck  
_i won’t be late!_

mark  
_no one wants to be a square_

donghyuck  
_yeah that’s kinda terrifying thanks i won’t have nightmares_

_good night Mark_

_btw watch out i’ll get there earlier than u_

mark  
_I won’t let you beat me._

 

***

 

Mark’s first day back at school as a second-year was going pretty well. He had managed to find all his classes, not lose his lunch bag, and salvage his sanity. Walking to his science classroom, Mark wasn’t expecting to hear yelling behind the door, but he figured it could be nice to have a more fun class amongst the dreariness of his other classes.  
He opened the door, and the volume increased tenfold. A high-pitched voice shrilled above all, which Mark recognized immediately. Mark was regretting ever stepping into the classroom, when said teammate with the loud, annoying voice turned around and spotted him. 

“Oh Maaaarrrk! Come here!” he wore a shit-eating grin as he waved frantically at the sophomore. 

Jeno was beside Donghyuck waving as well, but his voice was drowned out by the chaos in the room. Mark sighed and slid between Donghyuck and a boy he didn’t recognize. Mark turned to greet the boy sitting next to him, trying to raise his voice above the noise. The unknown boy had soft half-moon shaped eyes, straw colored hair, and delicate features. 

“Hey, nice to meet you, I’m Mark.”

The boy returned the greeting and said something that sounded suspiciously like linguine. Mark wondered if the other was indicating his hunger or if that was just his name. Maybe Mark was beginning to lose his sanity by now. It was sixth period, after all. 

The noise gradually died out when the teacher walked in. It was rumoured that Dongyoung Kim hated students (freshmen especially) but got along with the staff, who all loved him and called him Doyoung. He surveyed the class sternly, extremely irked judging by the way his eyebrows pinched together. 

“I could hear all of you screaming in here from the hallway,” he deadpanned. “This is a science classroom, and I will be expecting minimal noise in here from now on.”

Mark heard Donghyuck stifle a small groan from beside him. He sympathized with the boy. While handling strict teachers wasn’t a big problem for Mark, he also hoped the class would be some fun. The teacher continued droning on, giving a brief overview of the syllabus. 

“...And for labs, you’ll be working in groups of four, which are the people sitting at your table right now,” Mr. Kim continued.

So Mark was going to be with Jeno, Donghyuck, and... Linguine. 

“We’ll be doing a short activity in your lab groups today, as an icebreaker and precursor for tomorrow’s lab. Get comfortable with your lab partners!” 

As soon as Mr. Kim put up the assignment, the room erupted in noise again. Mark saw Mr. Kim sigh and massage his temples with his fingers as he retreated to his computer.

Surprisingly, Mark’s group quickly got to work, doing some light research on the topic and condensing the information into a short paragraph to put on their poster paper.

“Could you pass me the pen over there....?” Mark blanked out as he gestured to Linguine Boy, pleading for the other to clearly articulate his name this time. Donghyuck chose that moment to let out an obnoxiously loud laugh at one of Jeno’s jokes. 

“It’s Long Jean.” 

Mark struggled to make out the boy’s name. It didn’t quite sound right, but they were getting there. 

“Thanks...”

Mark took the pen and flicked it against the back of Donghyuck’s head in retaliation. “Get to work!” he scolded, with no bite behind his words. 

“Of course, Maaarrrk,” Donghyuck drawled, rolling his eyes. 

Long Jean had been working silently the entire time, but he smiled softly when he heard their exchange. Jeno leaned over to him and whispered something in his ear while Mark and Donghyuck continued their verbal rally, making Long Jean let out a mellow laugh. Mark had been afraid at first that they wouldn’t be able to integrate the quiet student into the group, but it seemed like everything was going to be fine.

 

A week later in the gym, Mark did a double take when he saw the slight-framed boy from his science class sitting on the bench, swinging his legs back and forth.  
“Hey Renjun, (Mark had long since found out his actual name) what are you doing here? You don’t play volleyball, do you?” 

“I was coerced into becoming the manager for the volleyball team,” Renjun smiled bitterly. “It’s okay though, I needed to join an extracurricular anyway.”

“That’s great then! Taeil did mention he wanted some help around. So, are you going to be watching us a lot during practice?” Mark asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll be staying in during practice or helping Coach Moon out with paperwork.” Renjun’s voice dropped to a hush. “But I think what he really wants me for is infiltrating the other high schools to spy on their volleyball teams and collect data on them.” 

Mark laughed. It was a ridiculously Taeil plan, but it was reasonable why he wanted to recruit Renjun. Renjun had recently transferred to the high school and was innocent-looking enough to be inconspicuous while slipping into other schools. 

“Renjun! What are you doing here? Are you joining the team?” a voice rang out from behind them, warm and honey-sweet. 

Renjun turned around with a sigh to meet Donghyuck’s puppy smile. 

“Be careful not to let those twig arms of yours snap from receiving Mark’s jump serves though!” Donghyuck added cheekily.

“Excuse me?” 

As Donghyuck and Renjun grappled with each other, Renjun screeched something about sacrificing his precious time to be manager for the team.

“I wouldn’t hurt Renjun like that,” Mark frowned, reflecting upon their argument. “Besides, my serves aren’t that powerful.” 

“Get a sense of humour Mark!” Donghyuck called out, then dramatically sunk to the ground as Renjun put him in a chokehold, the blonde aggressively whispering, “These arms aren’t too weak now are they?”

When Donghyuck finally managed to pry off Renjun’s arms, the two of them stumbled to the bench, exhausted. 

“It’s kind of true though,” Donghyuck mused out loud. 

“What’s true?!” Renjun’s body tensed, preparing to attack Donghyuck again for making fun of him. 

“Mark’s jump serves are more precise than they are powerful,” Donghyuck pointed out. 

Renjun relaxed as Donghyuck continued talking about Mark’s playing. “Mark is all about precision.” 

“Wow, you’ve sure studied Mark a lot haven’t you,” Renjun noted, raising an eyebrow almost suggestively. Mark opened his mouth to intervene, but the connotation flew over Donghyuck’s head. 

“Of course! I need to in order to beat him!” 

“Wait aren’t you two on the same team?”

Mark sighed, finally stepping in. “Ever since Donghyuck lost to me in middle school, he vowed to defeat me in volleyball, which probably just means he wants to be better than me at it.”

“Well! You have a long way to go!” Renjun laughed, clapping a pouting Donghyuck on the back. 

“I’m almost there! I’m faster and can jump higher than Mark anyways!” 

Mark shrugged, as if the news was no matter to him, but inside he was bristling. He always did have a competitive streak, and Donghyuck’s smug smile proved that he saw right through him. Renjun’s crescent moon eyes were laughing too, noticing Mark’s agitation. The boy was more perceptive than Mark had thought he was.

“I take back whatever I said about this being a waste of time,” Renjun announced. “This is gonna be really interesting...”

“What? Volleyball? Of course it is! I’m glad you’ve come around, Renjun,” Donghyuck quipped, and Renjun eyed him as if he were dense. 

“No you idiot! I couldn’t care less about volleyball! I’m interested in your relationship with Mark!” 

“Um,” Mark helpfully offered. Donghyuck looked confused. 

“Arghh forget it! I just want to see you guys compete with each other, it’s kinda like a symbiotic relationship. You both push each other to be better.”

“Isn’t a symbiotic relationship the one where both parties mutually benefit?” Donghyuck asked, as Renjun nodded and congratulated him for remembering their biology vocab.

“Donghyuck is more like a parasite,” Mark said flatly. 

“What the fuck?” Donghyuck turned on him angrily.

The pair continued quarrelling loudly as Renjun watched in amusement. It was apparently time for practice, and students began filing in lazily, not sparing Mark and Donghyuck a second glance. 

“Oh Renjun!” 

Jeno entered the gym, waving at the blonde when he noticed the trio. Renjun returned the greeting with a bright smile. Maybe being manager of the volleyball team would be a lot more fun than he thought. 

 

***

 

After a period filled with shouting and two broken glass beakers, Mr. Kim, exhausted, announced the end of the lab experiment and time for the students to work on their group lab reports or anything else academically related. 

“Who wants to join my study session on Saturday morning? The only person not invited is Mark!” Donghyuck announced, plopping down in his chair after the cleanup. 

“Hey! Why not me?” Mark yelped, affronted.

“Because you’re my rival. And I need to study science so I can beat you on the next test.”

“When have you ever studied for anything?” Renjun quipped.

“But Donghyuck, don’t you hate science?” 

“Ouch,” Donghyuck dramatically held a hand to his heart at Jeno and Renjun’s attacks. “That shit hurted.”

“I mean, sure we can join you, but you’re doing pretty well in the class right now,” Jeno reasoned.

“I can’t lose to him though!” Donghyuck whined, pointing at Mark.

Renjun nodded sagely. “I understand. I will help you develop your rivalry,” he said seriously.

Mark whirled around to Renjun. “And why are _you_ so involved in our personal matters?” he accused suspiciously. 

Renjun scowled. 

“Okay. Do you really want to know?” he huffed. 

“Spill the tea.” Donghyuck stared him down, and Mark leaned in as well. 

Renjun took a deep breath. 

“It’sbecauseyourfrenemyrelationshipreallyremindsmeofDrarryandthat’smyHarryPotterOTPjudgemeifyouwantbutiwritefanfictionandyouguysgivemegoodinspirationandideasformyworks-”

“Wow,” Jeno commented. 

“Hold up, Harry and Draco weren’t actually friends though? They were just enemies,” Donghyuck said slowly after processing Renjun’s words. 

“But at the end they were basically allies and civil towards each other,” Mark added seriously. “But I do agree that they weren’t friends.” 

“What.” Renjun looked between the two of them. A silence descended upon the group. 

“Y’all read Harry Potter?!” there were three voices at once and Jeno’s laughter. 

Renjun joined Jeno, hysterically laughing. 

“So you do have something in common besides volleyball!” he said triumphantly. “How didn’t you guys know earlier if you hung out so much? Was all you talked about volleyball?”

Mark and Donghyuck’s sullen silence confirmed Renjun’s question. 

“Oh my fucking god, I can’t believe it,” Renjun wheezed, clutching the table. Jeno looked at him in concern. 

Meanwhile, Mark and Donghyuck were in a staring match, looking comically serious. 

“What’s your Hogwarts House?” Donghyuck blurted out suddenly. 

“Gryffindor.”

Donghyuck wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I’m a Slytherin.”

“See!” Renjun cried, bursting out in laughter again. “It even works out like this!”

“No it doesn’t,” Donghyuck snapped. “Mark and I are going to have a heart-to-heart talk about our analysis on every book of the series-”

“And the movies-” Mark added. 

“Then we will discuss Mark’s trash taste in characters-”

“Hey! You don’t even know-”

“Then-”

“I bet I have more merch than you-”

Donghyuck paused, and stared at the other as if he had been personally affronted by Mark’s statement. 

“That can’t possibly be true!”

Renjun clapped his hands loudly as the bickering continued, cackling in delight. “They’re even fighting about the amount of merch they own! This is fucking hilarious.”

“Okay, okay!” Mark pointed decidedly at Donghyuck, who almost went cross-eyed at Mark’s finger. “We’re going to all meet up on Saturday for a ‘study session’ or whatever you want to call it. And after the study session, we will talk. About Harry Potter.” 

“In a civilized manner?” Jeno added hopefully. 

“Of course it’ll be civil!” Donghyuck said, as if he and Mark hadn’t been arguing nonstop for the past five minutes. 

“But where are we doing it though?”

“Ooh! We can go to the Starbucks a few blocks away from the school,” Renjun suggested.

Mark, Donghyuck, and Jeno exchanged looks. That brought up some bad memories. Renjun looked a little confused at their silence. 

“Yeah sure, it’s fine with me,” Mark said hurriedly, after watching Renjun’s face fall a little. Donghyuck and Jeno nodded vigorously, agreeing profusely. They settled on a time, and finally prepared to start working on their lab report. 

“Oh yeah, guys? I might be bringing someone with me, but I’m not sure yet. We’ll be studying pretty much the same material anyway so I hope it’s fine with y’all,” Renjun mentioned suddenly. 

The other three hummed in agreement, not thinking too much about it. 

 

Mark, Donghyuck, and Jeno somehow met up coincidentally at a stop sign near the school, so they walked together to the study place, chatting quietly in the drowsy Saturday morning. 

Minutes into walking into the cafe, Mark spotted a familiar looking straw-colored head and a pink head in the corner. 

“Hey guys, is that Renjun?”

Donghyuck and Jeno’s heads snapped up, and they bobbed up and down trying to catch sight of the mentioned boy. 

“No way! Is that Jaemin?” Jeno cried.

_What._ Mark’s head popped up as well. 

“The fuck?” 

“Renjun what are you doing with the enemy!?” Donghyuck shouted shamelessly across the room, and both blond and pink heads turned towards the trio. 

It was Renjun, with Jaemin. They walked closer as Mark, Donghyuck, and Jeno stared at them in shock. 

“Oh hey guys. Fancy meeting you here,” Renjun said calmly as Jaemin smiled brightly at them. 

“And how do you guys know each other?” Donghyuck interrogated, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Renjun smiled serenely at him. 

“While I was infiltrating Jaemin’s school, I got lost on their campus and ran into him? And I made an excuse like ‘oh I’m here as a prospective student trying out for the volleyball team haha’ and Jaemin looked at my skinny arms like ‘bro really’, but he was really nice and showed me around anyway,” Renjun recounted. 

“It’s okay if y’all hire cute managers to try getting info out of us,” Jaemin grinned. “We’re still going to beat you later in the season.”

Renjun seemed a little flustered at Jaemin’s words, muttering something about not getting used to Jaemin’s flirting.

“You’re on,” Jeno challenged. “Besides, Strony High is super strong this year. Thanks to these two,” he continued, pointing to Mark and Donghyuck. 

“Shhh! We can’t give away any information!” Renjun shushed Jeno, as Jaemin’s eyes lit up.

“It’s okay, Renjun. They won’t be able to deal with Mark and I anyway,” Donghyuck bragged. Mark frowned pointedly. 

“Hyuck, let’s not-”

“Oh! Are you a left wing spiker? I do that too!” 

“I’m actually middle blocker, but Mark and I have this really cool quick-” 

Both Mark and Renjun leapt onto Donghyuck to get him to shut up. As soon as Renjun released his chokehold on Donghyuck, the latter grinned unabashedly. 

“Also by the way, Mark’s jump serves aren’t doing so well recently.” 

“That’s because I’ve been watching your horrible attempts at jump serves too much!”

“Oh my god, I’m so flattered, the Great Absolutely Fully Capable Mark Lee watches my serves.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes as Mark glared at him. Jaemin seemed bewildered by their bickering and the sudden influx of new information.

“Snake,” Mark hissed. 

“Pathetic little lion,” Donghyuck growled back. 

“I thought you guys made up,” Jaemin said sadly. 

Renjun sighed. “When even their mutual love for Harry Potter can’t stop them from arguing.” 

“It’s sad being a Hufflepuff,” Jeno commented. 

“Oh you’re a Hufflepuff? Me too!” Jaemin perked up at Jeno’s words, and the two did a quick reenactment of the spiderman pointing meme.

“Wait, but Renjun. Have you two been hanging out? It doesn’t seem like the first time you guys met up,” Jeno asked. Mark and Donghyuck quit their squabbling to listen in.

“About that! I have a cousin called Chenle who’s friends with Jaemin’s neighbor Jisung. He’s on the volleyball team at Jeno and Donghyuck’s old middle school so he sees Jisung at tournaments a lot. They’re rivals like Mark and Donghyuck, but they make their friendship work a lot better,” Renjun explained. 

“Mark and I are very good friends,” Donghyuck said simply, in response to Renjun’s diss.

Mark looked like he was about to refute Donghyuck’s statement but switched gears instead. 

“That’s true I guess, but I’m the one who does more work,” he complained. “I always apologize first AND I buy Hyuck food all the time when he _conveniently_ forgets his wallet!” 

“And I _pay you back for it!_ You come over to _my_ house-”

“Are you guys seriously competing on who’s the better friend?” Jeno said incredulously. 

“Unbelievable.” 

Renjun groaned.

“This isn’t what I was expecting out of a study session,” Jaemin admitted, watching the mess unfold in front of him. 

“Do you guys ever stop arguing?!” Renjun grabbed both of their collars, voice growing louder. “How about you two go to that table over there and work out your issues, while us three study here in peace!” 

“Sounds good,” Mark said weakly. 

 

“So. Let’s talk about our problems,” Mark declared, when they had moved tables.

“Are you really considering doing that?” Donghyuck scoffed. 

“Hyuck, we’re both tired of arguing, and you know that things are more fun in practice when we aren’t at each other’s throats.”

Donghyuck let out a sigh and leaned back on his chair, facade slipping away. 

“Alright then, let’s talk.” 

“First of all, don’t call me Absolutely Fully Capable Mark anymore, or little lion, whatever! I told you already, it’s embarrassing.”

Donghyuck gaped at him. “We’re starting out with nicknames?” he judged. At Mark’s dirty look he hurriedly continued. “Okay okay. I won’t call you that anymore, but if you get to call me Hyuck, I need a nickname for you.” 

“But whhhyyy?” Mark whined.

“It’s like a, BFF thing. If we’re going to get along and be better friends than Jisung and... Chonlei, we gotta make an effort.” 

“You don’t have a nickname for Jeno though.”

“His name is too short!” Donghyuck countered, and Mark sputtered something about his name being a syllable shorter than Jeno’s. “Plus, your relationship with me is much more... special.” 

“Oh. Okay.” Mark was dumbfounded by Donghyuck’s straightforwardness. Except maybe he wasn’t that...straight with his connotations. _Relationship? I signed up for a friendship and now we’re doing couple things?_

“You can decide, Mark,” Donghyuck said in an oversweet tone. 

“Arrrgh, well, if I really had to go with something, it could be like a lion? Just not ‘little lion’ because lions are supposed to be fierce and strong and-” 

“Baby lion!” Donghyuck interrupted, beaming brightly. “You’re like a baby lion!”

“Say what?”

“It’s cute,” Donghyuck defended, suddenly looking a little shy. “And you look like a baby lion.”

“I do not!” Mark complained, but he could feel the tips of his ears burn. His was probably entirely red by now. 

“You do! Look at this.” And Donghyuck whipped out his phone, pulling out a picture showing both a baby lion cub and Mark side-by-side.

“What the fuck is that? Did you make that?” Mark hysterically scream-whispered, trying to hide the thoughts in his head that convinced him he _may_ actually resemble a baby lion. 

Donghyuck froze. 

“Uhh... yeah? I was going to make fun of you at first, but it actually turned out kinda cute!” he wailed. 

If Donghyuck was feeling flustered, Mark could relate, because his own face felt burning hot. Donghyuck’s ears were red at this point, and a pretty rose blush was blooming across his cheeks. 

“Y-you know what? It’s okay w-with me,” Mark stuttered, resisting the urge to run out of the shop yellling. His fingers wrapped around the back of his neck nervously. _Donghyuck called me cute. Donghyuck called me cute. Or was he just talking about the lion?_

Donghyuck was strangely quiet, his lips pressed together in a semi-pout, looking down shyly. His phone screen still flashed the picture of Mark and the baby lion where it was resting on the tabletop. He fiddled with the ends of his shirt, and the silence dragged on. 

“So, we’re good?” Mark tentatively started. Donghyuck let out a mortified squeak that didn’t sound very Donghyuck-like and blushed even harder. Mark’s heart melted. Unwittingly, his hand reached out to pet the back of Donghyuck’s head. 

“You’re pretty cute too, Hyuck,” Mark said lightly, in a sudden surge of courage. Somehow his voice wasn’t shaking and he sounded a lot more confident than he felt. His hand trailed off the back of Donghyuck’s neck, and Mark hurriedly stood up and walked away before he could embarrass himself further. 

Donghyuck got up after him silently, and the duo rejoined the study group. Renjun took a glance at the quiet Donghyuck and mouthed “What did you do to him” to Mark, but the latter just shrugged, smiling mysteriously. The rest of the study session went off without a hitch, yet Donghyuck would always become quiet and stare at Mark whenever he was talking.

 

Once the study session had ended, the group dispersed, with Mark going straight back home, Jeno still lingering behind with Jaemin, and Donghyuck and Renjun going their separate ways. Just as Donghyuck was about to cross the street, he heard Renjun calling out to him and the telltale tapping of footsteps coming his direction. Donghyuck had a strong sense of déjà vu.

“What’s up, Donghyuck, you okay? You were being kinda quiet back there,” Renjun asked, a little out of breath from the running. “I’m sorry if I was being too harsh about you and Mark. After all, it is a personal thing between you two and I have no right to interfere. But you know I want to best for-”

“Shhhhh, it’s fine,” Donghyuck hurriedly cut Renjun off from his increasingly fast and panicked flow of words. “You were right though. I don’t like arguing with Mark, and he doesn’t like it either. We’re trying to get better, but whenever I try to joke around the teasing goes too far and Mark won’t back down so we start fighting.” Donghyuck frowned deeply. “It’s all mostly my fault for being annoying all the time, so I don’t blame Mark for fighting back.”

Renjun calmed down as he listened to Donghyuck’s ranting, looking very thoughtful. 

“What do you think about Mark?” he asked finally. “If you’re okay with sharing.”

“Um, what do I think about him? That’s really open-ended, but I guess he’s a nice person? Like inherently good and wouldn’t harm a fly.” 

“That’s not true by the way. Mark is excellent at killing insects,” Renjun cut in. “But go on. What are your personal feelings about him? First- what did he say to you that got you so uncharacteristically quiet?”

Donghyuck went uncharacteristically quiet again in thought. He knew exactly what Mark said that made him freeze up. _You’re pretty cute too, Hyuck_ , Mark’s words echoed in his mind. But why did it make him feel so flustered? Donghyuck was sure he had despised Mark’s cool, suave, charismatic side because he had felt threatened by Mark’s leadership skills, but maybe- Maybe Donghyuck just disliked how much he _liked_ Mark when the other was being confident. 

“Mark called me cute and I feel gay for him,” Donghyuck concluded. 

_Wait what?_

“What,” Renjun repeated Donghyuck’s thoughts. “He called you cute?!”

“To be fair, I did it first. But what the fuck?”

“What the fuck?! You called him cute first but didn’t know you had a crush on him?” Renjun screeched. 

“I have a crush on him?!”

“Y-you, it’s you! Don’t ask me! And you literally just said you felt gay for him!” 

“Stop yelling everyone’s gonna hear!” 

“Arrrrgghhh!” Renjun pulled at his hair and then firmly crossed his arms, fixing Donghyuck with a glare that meant “explain everything”. 

“Everything I’ve done so far was for the sake of being better than Mark! I didn’t know I actually like, liked him! At the very most I thought I just admired him!”

“ _Tell me exactly what you think about Mark_ ,” Renjun demanded. 

“Okay okay! I find it super annoying when he gets in his confident cool team captain mode. Because he looks so cool and handsome when he actually knows what he’s doing! But he’s also kinda cute when he gets all awkward and confused! But then his voice gets all deep and mumbly and that’s like really hot. He looks constipated when he’s annoyed with me, but somehow that’s really hot too. Is that why I liked teasing him? Why do I even find him hot his stupid little face is so annoying and weird. But it’s cute? Oh my god what’s wrong with me.”

Renjun was fighting to look serious, but Donghyuck could tell he was holding back a huge grin. 

“Reeennjuuun!” Donghyuck whined, latching onto the boy, who threw his head back in full-blown laughter. 

“I’m pretty sure you have a crush on him if you somehow find his angry face cute.”

“That’s not helping me! So I know now. But what do I do?” 

Renjun stopped his laughing and his face turned somber. 

“I know it’s gonna be difficult, but you have to act the same as before. But maybe be a little nicer? If Mark is going to like you back, it has to be your real personality.”

“You mean default asshole? He isn’t going to like that, Renjun! And what if he’s not gay? Renjun, oh my god, he’s like the standard straight boy, he isn’t-”

Renjun shook Donghyuck vigorously to make him shut up. 

“Mark isn’t straight. Or not entirely anyway.”

“And how do you know that?”

“He listens to Troye Sivan. Only the gays can appreciate Troye Sivan.”

Donghyuck frowned in thought. “That’s true, I guess. But how do you know he actually _likes_ Troye Sivan’s music?”

“It’s on his Spotify! His daily and favorites playlists are full of Troye Sivan tracks. Don’t worry, Donghyuck. Your future boyfriend has good taste.”

Donghyuck made a noise like a strangled goose at the words “future boyfriend”. The words rang and bounced around in his skull. 

“Marty, I’m scared,” he said. 

Renjun sighed. Ever since he met the miracle duo, it seemed like his sighs were never-ending. 

“My name isn’t Marty, it’s Renjun. We have a lab tomorrow in science, if you forgot, and you’ll have to interact with Mark tomorrow. Just don’t say anything insulting to him, even if it’s a joke.”

“But that’s too OOC!”

“Fine! You can argue with him when we’re together as a group, just to keep up appearances. But when you’re alone with Mark, _be nice_.”

“It’s a group lab though, I’m not going to be alone with Mark! I can’t be obnoxious the whole time,” Donghyuck pointed out. 

“Ugh, alright, let’s make a plan to get you and Mark alone so you can be nice to him or whatever.”

“Whoa what?” Donghyuck chewed nervously on his bottom lip. “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

Renjun rolled his eyes. “Listen,” he said. “I actually don’t think you need to pay him any compliments or act any different. The thing is, if Mark called you cute already, he probably has a little crush on you and, like you earlier, doesn’t realize it. Just like, ignore him and be all jumpy and bright and happy like you usually are.”

Donghyuck scowled. 

“Now, now,” Renjun grinned, poking at Donghyuck’s cheek, the orange-haired boy swatting his hand away. “Let’s start planning.”

 

The next day, the plan was set in motion. Donghyuck struck up a conversation with Mark about the favorite topic, volleyball, and deliberately touched upon a very sensitive topic for the both of them: jump serving. Donghyuck wheedled Mark to give him jump serve tips, all the meanwhile teasing him for how lacking the setter’s were recently. It was all playful banter, but Mark was getting riled up. 

“The trouble pair needs counseling,” Jeno (who was not in on the plan) whispered to Renjun, who sighed in mock exasperation. 

“We can hear you!” 

“Whose side are you on?!” Donghyuck complained. 

“If you haven’t already realized, the only reason why Mr. Kim tolerates our lab group is because he adores Jeno. We’ve broken more than half of the glass containers the class broke during this semester, so do us all a favor and stop messing around!” Renjun asserted. “Here, you guys work on the Bunsen burner part of the lab and Jeno and I will work with the glass.”

With that, Renjun and Jeno quickly moved to the other side of the room, leaving Mark and Donghyuck behind. “Don’t burn down the room!” Jeno mouthed at them encouragingly. 

Mark stared at them dumbfounded, missing the quick wink Renjun sent Donghyuck. “Okay... let’s get started?” Mark offered, as Donghyuck stuck his tongue out at Jeno’s back and reached for the lab procedure page. 

_We’re not that rowdy_ , Mark thought indignantly as the pair efficiently set up the experiment within a few minutes. _We work together pretty well when we’re serious._ It seemed like Donghyuck was having a good time though, happily chatting away while reading the instructions out loud and fiddling with the materials on the table. It also seemed like Donghyuck had taken yesterday’s talk pretty seriously and hadn’t insulted Mark even once in the time after Jeno and Renjun left. Mark cautiously turned on the gas and watched nervously as Donghyuck took control of the matchbox.

“Ooh, I want to strike the match!” Donghyuck insisted, taking one from the matchbox. 

“Wait... How do you do this? I’ve never done it before!” Donghyuck waved the match around, and Mark fought the urge to snatch it away before the boy endangered himself everyone around them. Donghyuck looked way too excited about the prospect of making fire. 

“Here, let me do it,” Mark said, gently taking the match from Donghyuck’s fist and effortlessly striking it against the red strip on the box, producing a small flame. He held it against the whistling bunsen burner and a blue flame sprang to life. 

Donghyuck seemed a bit dejected about not being able to strike the match, but he was soon charmed by the fire from the bunsen burner. 

“Whoa...” 

Donghyuck’s face was almost right up against the fire, unbothered by the smell. He was transfixed with the flickering light, and Mark firmly held his shoulder back so he wouldn’t accidentally burn the tip of his nose. 

“Okay let’s do this!” Donghyuck finally drew his attention to the lab, picking up a piece of copper wire with the crucible tongs. He eagerly held the wire through the fire, and it blazed up violently in a burst of yellow and orange. 

“Wow,” Donghyuck breathlessly commented again. In the few seconds that the metal burned, the fire reflected into Donghyuck’s chocolate eyes, melting them into pools of golden caramel. While Donghyuck was busy being fascinated with the fire, Mark was enchanted with him.

“Ahhh! Help Mark, it’s not going away!” Donghyuck panicked when he took the flaming copper away but it continued to burn.

“It’ll- go away soon,” Mark said helplessly as Donghyuck held it away at arm's length. The flame went out.

“Mark, you’re so useless,” Donghyuck teased, but his smile was playful and radiant.

Playing with Donghyuck was always like playing with fire. 

 

Mark groaned as he hung off the edge of his bed that night, homework forgotten on his desk. He covered his face with his hands. His skin heated up beneath his palms as he recalled the events of his day, namely science class and volleyball practice. He had lost count of how many times Donghyuck had called him “baby lion” during practice. The weirdest point was Donghyuck when complimented him on his tosses, a genuine compliment almost carelessly thrown in during the break between serving and blocking practice. Compliments were never rare coming from Donghyuck, as he was usually the mood maker of the team, always encouraging other players. Towards Mark, however, they were usually rather sarcastic, so it was surprising to hear Donghyuck comment so sincerely about Mark’s playing. 

He’d said it in that soft sweet voice of his while passing by, before bouncing off to whisper something to Renjun. It seemed liked Renjun and Donghyuck were close nowadays, which somehow made Mark a little jealous. The younger was constantly vying for Renjun’s attention, and their bickering was somewhat reminiscent of the way Mark and Donghyuck argued. _Arguing is_ our _thing_ , Mark thought to himself. _Just like our nicknames for each other._ Mark remembered Donghyuck calling him “baby lion” again and squeezed his eyes shut from embarrassment. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but Donghyuck had seemed cuter than usual when Mark saw him during the day, even with sweat dripping down his bangs and whining about his knees hurting. He looked adorable under the fluffy white towel wrapped around his hair, like an impish fairy when he had smiled at Mark for a brief second. But Donghyuck wasn’t just cute nowadays though. The summer had taken away most of his middle-school baby fat, and Donghyuck had grown taller and leaner, with a killer jawline that really shouldn’t have matched those squishy cheeks of his. Mark wondered where the urge to pinch Donghyuck’s cheeks suddenly came from. Yes, Mark decided, he would risk it all for Donghyuck. 

At that conclusion, Mark rolled over and screamed silently into his pillow. Mark had a very analytical, cool-headed mind, so he knew he had a crush when he had one.  
“Why’d it have to be Hyuck, of all people,” he grumbled. It would be near impossible for someone like Donghyuck to return his feelings. But then again, there was that time that Donghyuck had called Mark cute... And blushed when Mark said the same....

Mark’s hand shot out and grabbed his phone. He sent Donghyuck a quick text. And Donghyuck replied almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for him. 

 

***

 

Mark was a little nervous the next afternoon during Saturday practice, and it wasn’t just because their next official match was tomorrow. Last night he had had a several hour long conversation with Donghyuck over text, and Donghyuck had elicited some information from him that Mark was sure the other was going to use as blackmail one day. Judging by the expression on Donghyuck’s face after practice, he was preparing reveal Mark’s secrets, and Mark could do nothing to stop him. He stood there, resigned to his fate, as the students in the gym slowly filtered out.

“I can’t believe Mark ships Dramione! What a hetero!” Donghyuck complained loudly, attracting the attention of several of the remaining teammates nearby. Renjun choked a laugh from the bench he was sitting on. _Oh my god._ Out of all the things Donghyuck could’ve chosen to reveal, he chose the most embarrassing, outdated one. 

“Hyuck shut up! That was three years ago!” 

The few teammates left quickly scrambled out the door, not wanting to get caught in the impending argument.

“Well, no wonder I hated your ass three years ago.”

“But you only met me two years ago!”

“Oh so you’ve got the exact year down and everything?” Donghyuck stared into Mark’s eyes intimidatingly. 

“I’ve got the exact _date_ ,” Mark huffed, not backing down. “March 17th, 2016.”

Their faces were almost two breaths away from each other by now. 

“Don’t you think you’re a little obsessed with me, Mark? Remembering so many details about our first meeting?”

Donghyuck’s eyes were glinting dangerously. Mark’s mouth run dry. His foot unconsciously stepped back by a centimeter. 

“It was around 2 in the afternoon by the way. As expected, you wouldn’t remember the hour.” Donghyuck’s voice was hushed, and Mark swallowed nervously. Donghyuck’s eyes flitted down to Mark’s throat for a fraction of a second, and in the next, he had whirled around and walked away. 

Mark turned after him, eyes wide and speechless. He caught Renjun’s gaze, who was wearing a rather smug smile.

“It seems like he’s a bit obsessed with you too.”

 

In a split-second decision, Mark rushed out the door after Donghyuck. It wasn’t like him to be that impulsive. Maybe Donghyuck had affected him in more ways than just one.

“Hyuck wait up!” 

Donghyuck whirled around, his eyes flashing with annoyance. 

“Oh my god why does everyone do that?” he wailed. It finally started to sink in that it was Mark who had called out to him, and the boy abruptly turned again and started running away. 

“Hyuck what-”

Mark managed to catch up through sheer determination and caught Donghyuck by his wrist, gripping it hard.

“I need to talk to you,” Mark said urgently, staring into Donghyuck’s wide eyes to get his point across. Donghyuck’s eyes glanced down at Mark’s lips as they moved, and Mark felt his heart beating faster in triumph. _So he does like me?_

“W-what do you want to say then,” Donghyuck said, tripping over his words a little. At that moment Mark realized Donghyuck was a little nervous, because the boy never stuttered. 

“I-” Mark promptly forgot how he was going to confess. Donghyuck gazed at him attentively, hanging on his words. It was too much for Mark’s poor heart and brain to handle.  
“I forgot what I was going to say,” Mark honestly stated. It might have been his imagination, but Donghyuck looked a bit disappointed. Mark stood frozen in place as Donghyuck turned to leave again. _No no no_ , Mark’s mind yelled at him. _Hurry up and say something before you lose your chance!_

Donghyuck’s eyes were downcast as he mumbled, “You can just be straightforward.” It seemed like he didn’t intend for Mark to hear, but Mark caught the soft spoken words. _Straightforward?_

“But I’m not straight. I’m gay.” Mark’s voice came out loud and clear. He started panicking because he was _not_ supposed to have just voiced his thoughts out loud. 

Donghyuck whipped around, amber hair falling into his large, chocolate eyes. “Say what?”

“I’m gay for you, Hyuck?” Mark winced internally as his confession turned into more of a question and his voice cracked pathetically at the end. Donghyuck blinked once, twice. 

“How the hell did I get a crush on an idiot like you?”

Mark’s heart sank at Donghyuck’s harsh words, but the meaning registered slowly in his brain. _Crush? He has a crush on... me?_

“Ah... what?” 

Suddenly Donghyuck stomped his foot on the ground, pointing angrily at Mark. 

“What the fuck! Why do you look so cute when you’re confused?!” 

Mark gaped at the fuming boy. Donghyuck’s lips were in full pout and his eyes were all squinty and his eyebrows were furrowed together cutely and he looked adorable.

“Why the hell do _you_ look so cute when you’re mad!” Mark accused in return. 

“We’re going into the gym for this conversation!” 

Donghyuck ran back to the gym and Mark followed closely behind him. Donghyuck’s caramel hair looked fluffier and softer than usual, despite just having practice for several hours. Mark thought it was extremely unfair how physics somehow did not apply to Donghyuck. 

They burst through the doorway into the gym, where Renjun was still seated, the blond scrolling down his phone. Mark and Donghyuck must have looked really angry and frustrated to Renjun, because the manager quickly stood up in alarm. 

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you two to sort it out?” Renjun said hesitantly, giving the pair a wide berth as he retreated out the doors. 

The doors clicked shut gently and left Mark and Donghyuck staring at each other again. 

Mark cleared his throat. He felt safe with the knowledge that Donghyuck actually reciprocated his feelings, and he tried his confession again.

“Okay, let’s try this again. Hyuck, I like you.” Mark reached out and took Donghyuck’s hands without breaking eye contact. “Will you be my boyfriend?” 

Donghyuck let out a breath he was holding. “Yes Mark I like you too let’s be boyfriends,” he said quickly. It was all kinda tacky and awkward and lame (like most high schooler confessions go), but Mark felt a huge wave of relief for finally confirming everything. The relief showed on Donghyuck’s face as well. He looked worn out by the events of the day, tired shadows prevalent beneath his eyes, but his dark, brown eyes were still glinting bright. The realization that Donghyuck was his, and he was Donghyuck’s belatedly struck Mark, and he gazed at the younger boy in awe.

“What do we do now?” Mark wondered aloud. 

“I don’t know, but don’t people usually kiss at this point?” 

Mark’s heart beat faster at the suggestion. 

“You... want to do it?” 

Donghyuck pressed his lips together in consideration, while Mark nervously wet his in preparation. They scooted closer, and god, it felt so awkward. Mark gripped the sides of Donghyuck’s arms, thumbs gently caressing the soft skin of his inner arms. 

“We are not having our first kiss in the gym while we’re all gross and sweaty,” Donghyuck finally declared, pulling away slightly. 

“Yeah okay, sounds cool,” Mark agreed, still smiling fondly at the boy in front of him. “Where would you want to do it?”

“I was thinking... maybe, in the summer when the sun is setting. Or under the stars on the rooftop. The mood is really important, you know?” Donghyuck rambled on. 

“Wow, you’ve really thought this through,” Mark joked, as Donghyuck continued listing off ideas. 

“You know, kissing in the rain is pretty romantic too...”

“We’ll still be wet from the rainwater and all cold and freezing, so it’s not much different from now,” Mark pointed out. 

“You’re so unromantic, Mark! And why are we arguing again-”

Mark leaned in and kissed Donghyuck’s cheek lightly, close to the corner of his mouth. Donghyuck immediately stopped talking, eyes shaking and looking incredibly flustered.  
“Cute,” Mark commented.

Donghyuck shoved lightly at Mark’s chest, all soft and pink and blushing. 

Mark took a step back and promptly flopped down to the floor on his back, exhausted. Donghyuck followed in suit, stretching out his limbs like a starfish. Mark stared up at the lights on the high ceiling of the gym, bright and artificial. He closed his eyes. The floor was cold and hard beneath his body, and he was hyperaware of his and Donghyuck’s breaths panting irregularly in the silence. He felt something brush up against his hand. A finger. Donghyuck’s pinkie curled around Mark’s gently as they lay on the ground, and the evening stretching on. 

“I think I love you,” Donghyuck said aloud. 

Mark twisted his wrist until his hand enveloped Donghyuck’s. Donghyuck’s left hand was soft and warm, unlike Mark’s calloused and sticky right hand. He opened his eyes, squinting at the return of bright lights. He turned his head and found Donghyuck peeking at him. 

“I think I love you too,” Mark replied, watching the caramel bangs shift across Donghyuck’s brows as he twisted to rest his chin on his arm. 

“The floor’s going to be so sticky tomorrow,” Donghyuck sighed. His voice was soothing and honey-like against the stagnant stillness in the gym.

“We won’t be here anyway. We have a game tomorrow.” Mark yawned, and Donghyuck giggled at him. 

“Sleepy baby lion,” he smiled affectionately. “Let’s go home and rest.” 

But Mark didn’t want to budge from his place on the floor, and it seemed like Donghyuck didn’t want to either. It had been a while since Mark had felt so peaceful and complete, and it was strange how it was all because of the energetic Donghyuck, brash and imperfect, but perfectly fitting beside Mark.

“Can we stay here a while longer?”

There was no answer. When Mark glanced over at Donghyuck again, the other’s eyes were closed, and he was dozing off already. And the two of them lay there until the sky outside was dark and the crickets began their song. 

 

***

 

Mark had a flashback of the very first time he met Donghyuck. Donghyuck was a short, small child at the time, with ruddy cheeks and unruly black hair. Although Donghyuck's skin was glowing now and his caramel orange locks were soft under Mark's fingers, his eyes still looked the same as that day. Fierce and wild in their spirit, but also mellow and soft as they gazed at Mark. 

“Just a minute, Coach,” Mark murmured as the team left the changing room, leaving Taeil behind regarding them questioningly. Taeil nodded in acknowledgement and left the locker room after the players. Donghyuck looked at Mark expectantly. 

“Let's win this,” Mark said, placing a brief kiss against Donghyuck's temple. He breathed out, feeling Donghyuck’s exhale a second after his own.

“That goes without saying,” Donghyuck said. He dove in and kissed Mark quickly on the cheek. “C'mon, let's go.” 

 

Lucas easily scored the first point of the match, letting out a loud celebratory bellow as the audience cheered. The opposing team collectively scowled. The game was on.  
It was hard to tell who would take the lead at first, both teams quickly exchanging points. Everyone was on hair-trigger alertness, and it showed in the way the receivers efficiently picked up serves and sniffed out decoys. As the other team's setter tossed the ball up high, Mark caught the slight lowering of the opposing spiker’s eyes, in preparation to spike directly down.

_Up front!_

Mark surged forward, but he miscalculated. He stumbled a step back again, determined to intercept the ball. He could almost see up the other player's nostrils as he bent down to jump. He sprung up, and the ball went up as well.

“Nice block!” Jeno called. But Mark wasn’t turning around. 

“He blocked it with his face!” someone shouted from the audience. 

Mark turned to them finally, looking a bit dazed, blood gushing down his nose. He gave a smile (more like a grimace) and weakly held up a thumbs up sign. 

Amidst all the screaming, the coach stood up for a timeout. 

 

“Mark! Don’t die!” Donghyuck wailed as their teammates frantically surrounded the setter. 

“Chill! He’s not gonna die!” Renjun yelled, passing over a hand towel to Mark to staunch the blood flow. 

“We’re going to switch him out until his nose stops bleeding,” Taeil said. 

“It’s stopped bleeding!” Mark retorted immediately, blood still dripping from his nose. 

It took a few players to finally wrestle him onto the bench. Donghyuck sadly looked behind at the setter as he returned to the court. Mark seemed upset and really eager to be in the game. 

 

The Strony High School volleyball team struggled through the first set without the presence of Mark, but they managed to scrape by match point and take the set. Donghyuck was pretty pleased with his performance so far; he had blocked quite a few of the other team’s spikes and saved some balls with his quick thinking. Although he had matched up with the backup setter well enough, he was itching for one of Mark’s quick tosses to him. Their minus tempo quick was satisfying when it scored, smacking the palm of Donghyuck’s hand leaving behind a pleasant sting, and the rebound off the ground of the opponent’s side of the court was always so delightful. 

Mark had recovered from his nose bleed when the game had reached the 20s mark on both sides, but Taeil held him back for the sake of having him well-rested for the next set. Less impulsive than Donghyuck and more calculating, it was also a good chance for Mark to analyze the opposing team for a while. Despite how calm he looked before the second set, Donghyuck could tell he was almost vibrating from the excitement of being back in the game. 

“You okay now, baby lion?” Donghyuck asked him, bopping Mark’s nose affectionately with his finger. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. You did great in the first set, Hyuck,” Mark replied, and Donghyuck beamed at his words. His heart gave a little jump at the thought of Mark watching him play. 

“I missed your tosses though,” he said, fixing a stray strand of black hair. Mark gave his head a shake and the strand fell back in place. 

“I missed seeing you hit my tosses. I don’t think I’ve ever told you, but I love watching you jump so high in the air. It’s like you’re flying.”

It was a rare compliment from Mark and made Donghyuck feel even more giddy. He looked into Mark’s wide, earnest eyes, and the white noise around him ceased. A whistle sounded, signalling the players to get into position for the second set. Donghyuck reached out to clasp Mark’s hand momentarily, feeling the familiar calluses and lines of his palm, reassuring and grounding. He could feel the curious eyes of Renjun on them as they wordlessly got into place. 

“Let’s get it!” Taeil shouted, and a cheer went up as the second set started. 

 

Strony High School was comfortably in the lead for the second set, score well into the late teens. 

It was just another point, not even an important one out of 25, but Mark could feel as he cradled the ball in his hands momentarily and sent it off lightly from his fingertips that it was one of the best tosses he made. And then Donghyuck was in front of him, leaping off the ground and into the air. He was suspended in flight, much like the first day Mark had witnessed his jump. His mid-air form was perfect, back arched slightly back and shoulders twisting gently as he drew his arm back. Donghyuck’s hand was outstretched, fingers streaking through the air like comets as his palm connected perfectly with the ball. Mark was sure in that moment their hearts were beating in tandem. It was just one second, but Mark caught the elated smile on Donghyuck's face as he peaked in his jump. The ball whizzed and safely hit the floor of the other side of the court with a _smack!_ , securing the point. Donghyuck landed lightly onto the balls of his feet, grinning at Mark. Their hearts beat faster. The ball went up. _Minus tempo!_ Mark touched the ball again. And Donghyuck jumped.


End file.
